NHL Capsules

Eds: Adds Flames-Oilers and Canucks-Sharks. Should stand.

By The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Defenseman Michal Rozsival scored in the fifth round of shootout after Jonathan Toews also connected in the tiebreaker, and the Chicago Blackhawks pulled out a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Monday night.

Rozsival, who hasn’t scored a regulation goal this season, beat Pekka Rinne with a high shot in his first attempt in a shootout this season.

Patrick Kane scored his team-leading 19th goal and rookie Brandon Saad scored in regulation to help the Blackhawks win their second straight.

The Predators were outshot 27-11 through the first two periods, but stormed back in the third to erase a 2-0 deficit on goals by Dave Legwand and rookie Taylor Beck and force overtime.

Craig Smith scored in the second round of the shootout for Nashville, but the Predators dropped their third straight (0-1-2).

Corey Crawford made 25 saves for Chicago, while Rinne stopped 38 shots for Nashville.

DUCKS 4, STARS 0

DALLAS (AP) — Viktor Fasth made 26 saves for his third shutout of the season, and Bobby Ryan had a goal and an assist to lead Anaheim over reeling Dallas.

Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey also scored and Ryan Getzlaf added two assists for the Ducks, who completed a four-game road trip (2-1-1). Teemu Selanne had an empty-netter in the last minute.

Despite having to travel, it was the Pacific Division-leading Ducks that displayed more energy and passion.

Kari Lehtonen, making his 15th straight start, came up with 26 saves for Dallas, which is 1-3-0 in its last four outings — allowing 16 goals in the process.

CANADIENS 4, HURRICANES 1

MONTREAL (AP) — Carey Price made 18 saves in his 300th NHL game to lead Montreal over Carolina.

Max Pacioretty scored twice, while Andrei Markov and Jeff Halpern also scored for Montreal, which swept the season series and remains unbeaten in 10 games against the Southeast Division this season.

Jordan Staal scored and Justin Peters stopped 25 shots for the Hurricanes, who have only one victory in their past nine games.

The win gives Montreal a three-point lead over the idle Boston Bruins in the race for the Northeast Division title.

Montreal’s Colby Armstrong had to be helped off the ice after a hard collision in the third.

SHARKS 3, CANUCKS 2

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist during a second-period scoring flurry and San Jose beat Vancouver for its fifth straight victory.

Andrew Desjardins and Logan Couture also scored for San Jose, which broke a scoreless tie with three goals in a span of 2:13 against Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider.

Chris Higgins and Alexandre Burrows scored to pull Vancouver within one, but the Sharks prevailed and extended their longest win streak since taking seven straight to open the season.

San Jose remains in the No. 6 playoff position in the Western Conference but trails Los Angeles by just one point for the fifth spot. The Canucks sit at No. 4 in the West.

RANGERS 4, JETS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Stepan scored twice, including the go-ahead goal in the third period, to lead New York over Winnipeg.

Ryan Callahan had a goal and three assists as the Rangers snapped a two-game losing streak, picking up two vital points in their fight to hold onto a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. New York started the night clinging to eighth place.

Rick Nash also scored for New York and Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves.

The Southeast Division-leading Jets got goals from Nik Antropov and Zach Bogosian in their third straight loss. Ondrej Pavelec stopped 31 shots for Winnipeg.

BLUES 4, WILD 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Jaden Schwartz and Andy McDonald each had a goal and an assist, Brian Elliott stepped in and made 19 saves, and St. Louis snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Minnesota.

Kevin Shattenkirk and Barret Jackman also had goals for St. Louis.

Dany Heatley scored for the Wild, whose home winning streak ended at four games. Minnesota lost for just the sixth time in its last 21 games overall.

St. Louis began the day out of the playoffs and staring at a stretch with six of its next seven games coming on the road.

RED WINGS 3, AVALANCHE 2

DETROIT (AP) — Damien Brunner ended his 15-game scoring drought and Jimmy Howard made a late save to help Detroit hold off Colorado.

Justin Abdelkader scored late in the first period, Danny Cleary put Detroit ahead by two at 6:28 of the second and Brunner had a one-timer a few minutes later.

Colorado avoided a shutout with a power-play goal at 14:08 of the third period when Jamie McGinn’s backhander from between the circles sailed over a sprawling Howard. Matt Duchene made it 3-2 with 1:18 left, but Howard’s glove save on PA Parenteau with 7 seconds left prevented overtime.

Howard finished with 22 saves for Detroit, which had lost two straight.

OILERS 4, FLAMES 1

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Justin Schultz had a goal and two assists and Edmonton continued its drive for a playoff spot, beating Calgary for its fourth win in a row.

Taylor Hall, Ryan Jones and Nail Yakupov also scored for the Oilers, who have gone 7-2-2 in their past 11 games. With the win, the Oilers kept pace in the tight Western Conference playoff race, sitting in a tie with Columbus, one point back of eighth-place St. Louis.

Brian McGratton scored for the Flames, who said goodbye to Jay Bouwmeester after the defenseman was traded to the Blues shortly before the game.

The Flames have lost two in a row and six of their past eight.

ISLANDERS 3, DEVILS 1

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Frans Nielsen set up two early goals, Evgeni Nabokov made 24 saves and New York continued its playoff push with a victory over New Jersey.

Josh Bailey and Travis Hamonic were the beneficiaries of Nielsen’s passes, and John Tavares added his 22nd goal of the season as the Islanders won for the fourth time in five games. New York’s only loss was a 2-0 setback to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the winners of 15 straight games.

Alexei Ponikarovsky scored for the Devils, who are 0-1-3 since forward Ilya Kovalchuk was sidelined with a shoulder injury more than a week ago. Martin Brodeur finished with 18 saves.

Matt Martin had a knockout of Devils forward Tom Kostopoulos midway through the first period.

NBA Capsules

Eds: Updates with remaining games.

By The Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Mike Conley drove for a layup with 0.6 seconds left, and the Memphis Grizzlies rallied to beat the San Antonio Spurs 92-90 Monday night for their third straight victory.

The Grizzlies matched their franchise record with their 50th win this season, and they won their 12th straight at home. They pulled out a win in a game where Conley’s bucket gave them their first lead since 18-16 late in the first quarter.

Conley scored the final five points and finished with 23. Jerryd Bayless had 17 points, Marc Gasol 16, Zach Randolph 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Tayshaun Prince had 11 points.

Tony Parker had 25 points for the Spurs. Parker tried to beat the buzzer with a jumper that was too late.

PACERS 109, CLIPPERS 106

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Roy Hibbert had 26 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out, Paul George added 23 points and 10 assists, and Indiana barely completed a sweep of its four-game road trip by beating Los Angeles in a battle of division leaders.

Hibbert made all eight of his shots in the first half and finished 11 for 14 from the field to help his team extend its winning streak to five and increase its Central Division lead to 6 1/2 games over idle Chicago.

All five Pacers starters scored in double figures, with David West getting 16 and backcourt mates Lance Stephenson and George Hill chipping in with 13 apiece.

Jamal Crawford scored 25 points off the bench for the Pacific Division-leading Clippers, whose magic number to clinch the first division title in the franchise’s 43-year history remained at two. They failed on their third attempt at their 50th victory, which would break the franchise record set by the 1974-75 Buffalo Braves. Blake Griffin had 17 points.

JAZZ 112, TRAIL BLAZERS 102

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Al Jefferson scored 24 points, Mo Williams hit six 3-pointers and Utah beat Portland to extend its winning streak to a season-best five games.

The win was Utah’s second in four days over the Blazers (33-41), losers of five straight.

Wesley Matthews scored 23 for Portland, still without leading scorer LaMarcus Aldridge because of a sprained ankle.

Rookie standout Damian Lillard added 17 points, including three 3-pointers to break the NBA’s single-season rookie record (166) for 3s.

Utah moved a half-game ahead of the idle Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth Western Conference playoff spot, and two games ahead of Dallas.

ROCKETS 111, MAGIC 103

HOUSTON (AP) — Omer Asik matched his career high with 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, and Houston beat Orlando without James Harden and Chandler Parsons.

Jeremy Lin had 19 points and 11 assists, and Francisco Garcia had 14 points, five assists and three blocks for the Rockets, who hardly missed their top two scorers until Orlando made a late run. Harden sat out for the second straight game with a sore right foot and Parsons missed the game with an illness.

Rookie Maurice Harkless scored a career-high 28 points and Beno Udrih had 17 points and 10 assists for the Magic.

The Rockets won for the eighth time in 10 home games and inched closer to their first playoff berth since the 2008-09 season. Houston holds the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.

TIMBERWOLVES 110, CELTICS 100

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nikola Pekovic bruised and battered the overmatched Boston front line for 29 points to lead Minnesota.

Andrei Kirilenko had 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Dante Cunningham scored 19 points off the bench for the Wolves, who delivered coach Rick Adelman his 998th career victory.

Avery Bradley scored 19 points for Boston, which was playing without Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The Celtics, who started the day 2 1/2 games ahead of eight-seeded Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference playoff race, have lost seven of their last nine games.

This one snapped an 11-game winning streak against the Wolves, who beat Boston for the first time since Garnett was traded there in 2007.

BUCKS 131, BOBCATS 102

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Larry Sanders had a career-high 24 points and 13 rebounds in Milwaukee’s highest-scoring total in more than four years.

Monta Ellis had 19 points, a career-high 14 assists and six steals to help Milwaukee pull 1 1/2 games behind seventh-place Boston in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Ersan Ilyasova added 22 points for the Bucks, J.J. Redick scored 20, and Brandon Jennings 19.

Milwaukee, which had lost five of six, remained solidly in the eighth position in the East, with a six-game lead over idle Philadelphia.

Kemba Walker scored 27 points to lead the Bobcats, and Gerald Henderson had 17.

HAWKS 102, CAVALIERS 94

ATLANTA (AP) — Devin Harris scored a season-high 25 points and Josh Smith nearly added a triple-double as Atlanta improved its chances of securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Smith had 18 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists before a sparse crowd in Philips Arena to help the Hawks (42-33) pull within one game of Brooklyn (42-31) for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Reserve Marreese Speights scored 14 of his 22 in the final quarter, but the Cavs (22-51) did not seriously threaten after pulling within 58-56 early in the third period.

Shaun Livingston, starting with Kyrie Irving not playing in the second night of a back-to-back, had 14 points and six assists in Cleveland’s ninth straight loss.

PISTONS 108, RAPTORS 98

TORONTO (AP) — Greg Monroe scored 24 points, Jose Calderon had 19 points and nine assists against his former team, and Detroit snapped a three-game losing streak.

Rodney Stuckey scored 18 points, Jonas Jerebko had 10 of his 15 in the fourth quarter and rookie Khris Middleton added 11 as the Pistons won for just the third time in 19 games.

Rudy Gay scored 34 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 17 and DeMar DeRozan 15 as the Raptors lost for the seventh time in eight games. Toronto was outscored 33-19 in the final quarter.

 

By The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Justin Verlander won on opening day for the first time in six tries, pitching five shutout innings at frosty Target Field and sending the defending American League champion Detroit Tigers past the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Monday.

With the gametime temperature at 35 degrees and the wind blowing at 17 mph, fans had to bundle up. But opening day is always a draw, as evidenced by the announced sellout crowd of 38,282.

Verlander (1-0) had been 0-1 in his previous five openers. Phil Coke got the last two outs for the first save by the Tigers’ closer committee.

Prince Fielder, wearing a black ski covering on his head, had two hits and an RBI to help spoil the first Twins start by Vance Worley (0-1).

RED SOX 8, YANKEES 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Jon Lester and the Boston Red Sox got off to a quick start after a dreadful 2012 season, giving new manager John Farrell an opening day win over the depleted New York Yankees.

Newcomer Shane Victorino led a revamped Red Sox lineup with three RBIs and rookie Jackie Bradley Jr. walked three times and scored twice in his big league debut. Boston’s big day against CC Sabathia (0-1) came a year after it lost its first three games under Bobby Valentine and went on to a 69-93 finish.

Facing a Yankees lineup minus injured Derek Jeter for the first time since 2001 and just three starters from opening day a year ago, Lester (1-0) gave up five hits and two runs in five sharp innings against the defending AL East champions.

WHITE SOX 1, ROYALS 0

CHICAGO (AP) — Chris Sale outpitched James Shields, Tyler Flowers homered and the Chicago White Sox beat Kansas City in their season opener.

Sale (1-0) showed the form that made him a 17-game winner and an All-Star in his first season as a starter. On a chilly day when the gametime temperature was 44, he allowed seven hits and struck out seven in 7 2-3 innings. Addison Reed worked the ninth for the save.

Shields (0-1) was a tough-luck loser in his first start since the Royals acquired him from Tampa Bay in the offseason. Flowers homered leading off the fifth.

MARINERS 2, ATHLETICS 0

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Felix Hernandez struck out eight on opening day in his first start since signing a $175 million, seven-year contract in February, and the Mariners beat the reigning AL West champion Oakland Athletics.

King Felix surrendered one walk while pitching 7 2-3 scoreless innings. He didn’t allow a hit until John Jaso doubled to left-center with one out in the fourth, only a couple of hours after the pitcher gifted his former backstop with a Rolex watch for catching his perfect game in August against the Rays.

Hernandez (1-0) outdueled Brett Anderson while making his sixth career opening day start and fifth in a row, retiring the first 10 batters of the game in order. Franklin Gutierrez hit a two-run single in the fifth to break a scoreless tie, and it held up for Hernandez.

By JOE KAY

AP Baseball Writer

CINCINNATI (AP) — The defending NL Central champions are hoping that their extra-long opening day loss doesn’t affect their lineup well into the season.

Left fielder Ryan Ludwick dislocated his right shoulder during a 3-1, 13-inning loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, giving them a big worry only one game into the season.

Ludwick’s hand stuck in the dirt on his headfirst slide into third base in the third inning, making his shoulder pop out of place. He left the game and will have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the significance of the injury.

“You hate to see a guy come off the field holding his arm,” manager Dusty Baker said. “It’s disheartening. We’ve done so well the last couple of years with injuries.”

The Reds won 97 games last season by avoiding significant injuries most of the way. First baseman Joey Votto tore knee cartilage and missed 48 games. Ludwick became their top run producer in his absence, and decided to stay in Cincinnati for two more years and $15 million.

Now, they’re going to have to fill in for him.

“The ground was a little wet, and when I hit the ground my hand stopped,” Ludwick said. “Normally, it slides with you. My shoulder popped out. This wasn’t the best opening day.”

The Reds felt the same way about the ending.

Chris Iannetta singled with the bases loaded in the 13th inning, deciding the first interleague opener in major league history. It was the second year in a row that a first game in Ohio wouldn’t end.

Last year, the Blue Jays beat the Indians 7-4 in 16 innings in Cleveland, the longest opener in major league history. This one was a fitting follow-up at the other end of the state. And Iannetta was in the middle of it.

He hit a solo homer in the third inning off Johnny Cueto, then grounded out and struck out three times, including with the bases loaded in the seventh inning to keep it tied at 1.

J.J. Hoover walked two and hit Hank Conger — the Angels’ final position player — to load the bases with two outs. Iannetta worked the count full, fouled off a couple pitches, then singled to left.

With that, the Reds were headed to a loss in their longest season opening game since 1975, when they beat the Dodgers 2-1 in 14 innings.

“That was a heck of an opening day game,” Hoover said. “It would have been better if we’d have come out on top.”

Mark Lowe pitched two innings for the win. Ernesto Frieri, the Angels’ seventh pitcher, completed an impressive showing by the Angels’ bullpen, which allowed only one hit over the final seven innings.

A team that sunk $125 million into acquiring outfielder Josh Hamilton to upgrade its offense pulled this one out with a bullpen that has a few questions to start the season. Angels pitchers fanned 13 in all, their highest total on opening day.

Shin-Soo Choo had a solid debut at the Reds’ leadoff hitter, reaching three times. He doubled in the third and came around on a ground out and Weaver’s wild pitch.

The bullpens decided an opener between two teams that think they can contend for the playoffs right from the first pitch — which was a 92 mph fastball by Cueto for a called strike.

The Angels’ biggest offseason move was signing Hamilton, who had a nostalgic start to the season. He started his comeback in Cincinnati on opening day 2007 after years of drug abuse.

He got a standing ovation that day before his pinch-hit appearance in 2007, a fly out. Hamilton got another loud ovation on Monday from fans who wished he’d stayed for more than a year. Cincinnati traded him to Texas after one season.

Hamilton was 0 for 4 with a pair of walks.

Nobody on the Reds looked forward to the opener more than Cueto, who strained muscles in his side on his eighth pitch in the playoff opener last year. He had to sit and watch as the Reds blew a two-game advantage and lost to the Giants in the first round, in part because his injury left the rotation in disarray.

Fully healed, the right-hander was back on his game. He gave up three hits and fanned nine, including Iannetta and pinch-hitter J.B. Shuck with the bases loaded in the seventh to keep it tied at 1.

NOTES: It was sunny and 47 degrees at the first pitch. The crowd of 43,168 was the largest at Great American Ball Park for a regular-season game. ... Joe Torre, who managed the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic, threw a ceremonial pitch to Reds 2B Brandon Phillips, who played on the team. ... The 4-hour, 45-minute game was the longest opener in Angels history. ... Cueto’s nine strikeouts were the most by a Reds pitcher on opening day since Mario Soto struck out 10 in 1982.

 

By DOUG FEINBERG

AP Basketball Writer

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Getting to the Final Four never gets old for Geno Auriemma and his Connecticut women’s team.

The Huskies reached the national semifinals for a record sixth straight season with an 83-53 win over Kentucky on Monday night in the regional finals of the NCAA tournament.

Up next will be either Notre Dame, a Big East rival the Huskies have lost to three times this season, or Duke, a squad UConn routed by 30 points in January.

Auriemma didn’t really seem to care who the Huskies play Sunday.

“Anytime you’re fortunate to play in the Final Four, you’re going to have to beat two great teams,” he said. “You don’t stumble your way into the Final Four, that’s for sure. Whoever we play Sunday, that’s our main focus right now. After Sunday, we’ll play on Tuesday or we’re going home. Right now we have a great chance to win a national championship.”

The road to an eighth title got a bit easier for the Huskies (33-4) when defending national champion and top overall seed Baylor lost to Louisville on Sunday night. Still, they could face the Irish, who have eliminated them in the past two Final Fours and won seven of the past eight meetings.

“We’re ready for whoever is there,” junior center Stefanie Dolson said.

Breanna Stewart scored 21 points and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added 17 to lead the Huskies, who have reached the national semifinals 14 times.

“Each year is different ... special in its own way,” senior Kelly Faris said. “This is our last go-around. We want to go out with a bang. I’m fortunate to be part of this program where we make it every year. We never are satisfied until we get to that final game.”

UConn (2000-04) broke the record of appearing in five straight Final Fours that it shared with Stanford (’08-12) and LSU (’04-08).

It was the second straight season UConn beat Kentucky in the regional finals after the Huskies topped the Wildcats by 15 last year 105 miles to the north of Bridgeport in Kingston, R.I.

This game wasn’t as close. Kentucky stayed in it for the first 10 minutes with their “40-minutes-of-dread” defense before UConn turned up its own defensive intensity.

The Huskies trailed 23-22 with just 9 minutes left in the first half. That’s when Stewart, who was honored as the outstanding player of the Bridgeport Regional, and UConn’s “no-name” defense took over, allowing three points the rest of the half.

Mosqueda-Lewis said Auriemma tells his players to be like sharks on defense — and that’s what the Huskies have become.

“When there’s blood in the water, you smell it and you go after it,” she said. “We’re just going to keep going after it. It’s like a domino effect. Once we get one steal, we’ll get another and another.”

Kentucky missed 13 of its final 14 shots in the opening half, with the only make coming when Jelleah Sidney banked in a 3-pointer from the wing.

While UConn was playing lockdown defense, Stewart was dominating on the offensive end. The 6-foot-4 star, the national high school player of the year last season, scored nine points and had a vicious two-handed block during that closing run.

After Sidney’s 3-pointer, Stewart calmly converted a three-point play on the other end. UConn led 48-26 at the break.

Kentucky couldn’t get within 20 in the second half.

It’s been an unusual season for UConn, which for the first time in 19 years didn’t win either the Big East regular season or tournament title. Now the Huskies are two wins away from redemption.

Auriemma got a gritty effort out of Dolson, who has a stress fracture in her right ankle and an injured left foot as well. She wore a brace on her left leg and a compression sock on her right one. While she scored only two points, she had 11 rebounds and four assists.

“She might have been the leading rebounder in the whole tournament,” Auriemma said. “She’s grown up and changed her mindset. What I most admired about her this tournament was every time she was on the bench she kept looking at me ... ‘Why am I out?’ For somebody who is hurting that much who didn’t practice yesterday and walked through shootaround, that epitomizes the spirit we have right now on this team.”

The loss closed a record year for the Wildcats (30-6), who finished with the most victories in school history. Not bad for a program rich in basketball tradition on the men’s side. Still, Mitchell was left searching for the school’s first trip to the Final Four.

The Wildcats have made the NCAA tournament each of the past four seasons and reached the regional finals in three of those years, falling short each time.

“I don’t think we’re going to get discouraged,” Mitchell said. “I know our players wanted us to perform better than we did. If anyone started to think it’s not going to happen they’re not inside our program. We’ll get there.”

Senior A’dia Mathies, the two-time Southeastern Conference player of the year, had a quiet game with only 14 points — 11 of them coming in the second half. She finished as the winningest player in Kentucky history.

“It looks a lot different when she’s walking out the door than when she was walking in the door,” Mitchell said. “I hate how we performed the way we did and sent her out this way. I hope the contribution she made and impact she made doesn’t get lost in a real tough 40 minutes for us.”